Arnold Schwarzenegger recently revealed that he tricked Sylvester Stallone into taking the lead role in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. The seven-time Mr. Olympia winner struggled to find his footing in Hollywood in the 1970s until his cast as the lead in John Milius' 1982 sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian. He continued scoring massive hits throughout the decade with The Terminator, Commando, Predator, and The Running Man.
In a recent interview with THR (via Uproxx), Schwarzenegger confirmed that he had tricked Stallone into taking Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Stallone stars a Sergeant Joseph Bomowski, a tough cop who partners with his mother to solve a murder. The film was poorly received by critics and audiences and is considered one of the actor's worst films. Stallone previously revealed that he initially signed onto the role because he heard Schwarzenegger was interested in the part. Now, Schwarzenegger admits that he set Stallone up. Read what the actor said below:
“It’s 100 percent true. In those days we did all kinds of crazy things to get ahead in our rivalry. Luckily for us and everyone else, today, we root for each other. Thank God, because we sure don’t ever need another Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.”
Schwarzenegger and Stallone's Rivalry Explained
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot was indicative of the long-standing feud Stallone and Schwarzenegger had with each other throughout the height of their careers. Around the same time Schwarzenegger's career in Hollywood kicked off, Stallone was making a name for himself as a heavy-hitter in the industry after writing and starring in the acclaimed boxing film Rocky. Into the 80s, Stallone took the lead in such action films as the Rambo franchise, Cobra, the Rocky sequels, and Tango & Cash.
Schwarzenegger and Stallone dominated the action genre for over a decade, continuing their rivalry well into the 90s with Schwarzenegger branching out into comedy with Kindergarten Cop, Junior, and Jingle All the Way while continuing his image as a tough near-superhero action hero in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Last Action Hero, True Lies, and Eraser. Although Stallone stumbled with Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, he rebounded with the non-stop action thriller Cliffhanger and followed that up with Demolition Man, Judge Dredd, and Daylight.
As age caught up with them at the turn of the century, the two actors adjusted their careers. With films like Cop Land and Get Carter, Stallone leaned more into the dramatic fare, culminating with his 2006 return as Rocky in Rocky Balboa, which earned him much praise for his performance. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger had a stint in politics as the Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. By that time, the two stars had settled their differences and began working together. Schwarzenegger joined the expansive action of Stallone's franchise The Expendables and partnered with him again in the prison escape thriller Escape Plan. Recently Stallone and Schwarzenegger were seen carving pumpkins together for Halloween, clearly showing that their feud is behind them despite Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Source: THR (via Uproxx)